Device for generating and utilizing centrifugal forces



0. STINNER May 6, 1930.

DEVICE FOR GENERATING AND UTILIZING CENTRIFUGAL FORCES Filed March 16, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet l 2 W u d a 4 7 w w lo L Q% m W 98 H A M 1 R W T H 6 2 9 in winter 0. STINNER May 6, 1930.

DEVICE FOR GENERATING AND UTILIZING CEN'I'RIFUGAL FORCES Filed March 16, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 [n (Jen/a)" OZ/d lsflllmer Patented May 6, 1930 OTTO STINNER, OF EIQHWALDE, NEAR BERLIN, GERMANY DEVICE FOR GENERATTNG UTILIZING CENTBIFUGAL FORCES Application filed March 16, 1928, Serial No. 262,244, and in Germany June, 1926.

The present invention relates to a device for generating and utilizing centrifugal forces. The fly-wheels used in known manner have the inconvenience that their kinetic 5 energy will be diminished not only by their frictional resistance, but also by each retardation of their speed. When the travel of a flywheel is sla-cked, the shaft of the said wheel will be suddenly encumbered by the energy becoming free within the flywheel. By

the known machines it is not possible to regain this free energy for the purpose of an acceleration of the shaft of the machine in a more convenient moment. Each following retardation of the fly-wheel will cause consequently a further loss of energy. Finally, the movement of the fly-wheel will stop.

The object of the improvement in arrangements for generating centrifugal forces are to prevent the detrimental reaction of the change of velocity of the driving shaft upon the energy of the rotating mass, and to sustain the original and the maximum of energy of inertia for the purpose of utilizing the energy in a desirable moment.

Two constructional forms of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side view and partly a vertical section, on the line 1-1 of 39 Fig. 2 of one form of the entire arrangement; Fig. 2 a horizontal section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a side view and partly a vertical section of the other form of the arrangement on the line 33 of Fig. 4;; and Fig. l

a horizontal section on the line H of Fig. 3.

The vertical shaft l'is rotatably mounted in a spherical foot bearing43 and carries a flywheel 2 and a pinion 3 fitted thereto to form a gearing which represents the dead potential energy of the device. The upper end of the shaft is provided with an antifriction ball 11, upon which is rotatably mounted a fly wheel or rotary body 5, to the hub 4 of which is attached a shaft 44 turning in a journal bearing 20 and a bracket 45 carrying a lever 18 having two arms, the short arm of which is pivotally connected to a sleeve 46 guided by the said shaft 44. A pinion 10 is rotatably mounted upon the said sleeve 46 and has a conical recess 22 for receiving a coneshaped coupling body 13 attached to the said shaft 44;. The longer arm of the said lever 18 has a bifurcated end 18 receiving a pin 49 attached to a slide R arranged upon a guide rod 16 radially projecting from the hub at of the fly-wheel 5. The slide R is connected to a retracting spring 51 attached to the outer part of the fly-wheel 5. The spring 51 has the tendency to draw the slide R in close proximity to the rim of the said fly-wheel 5. Th

e slide R is provided with a pin 14 which bears antifriction rollers 17, reciprocated by disks 8, 8

secured to a drive shaft 6 parallel to the shaft 1 and turning in a foot bearing 52 and in an upper journal bearing 53. The shaft 6 may be driven by means of any suitable power and is furnished with two cog-wheels 7 and 9. The wheel 7 meshes with the pinion 3 and the wheel 9 meshes with the pinion 10. The flywheel 2 is provided with a wedge-shaped dog 12 the inner face of which is in adapted to come into contact with clined and the pin 14,

so that the slide R will be displaced against the action of the spring 51 and will turn the lever 18 which shifts the sleeve 46 to close the fl'lCtlQIlEtl couplingbetween the shaftdd and the pinion 10. The gear ratio between the greater than the gear ratio ample, the and 9 may the wheels represents r which is enabled by coupling means to enter alternatively into or to come out of connection with the mass of the dead energy represented by the fly-wheel 2. The dependenc eas well as the independence of the masses 2 and 5 from another are obtained by the steering means 12, 14, 17, 18 and 13 which are provided to close and to open alternatively the connection between the element 5 or mass of kinetic energy with the fly-wheel 2 or mass of dead energy having a higher speed and by means of the coupling body 13 and pinion 10 with the wheel 9 representing the potential energy. In the first case, the element 5 will be driven by means of the fly-wheel 2, the segment-shaped dog 12 of which has an inclined f ace thrusting against the pin 14 of the element 5 which will be rotated with the same speed of the fly-wheel 2 and will accumulate energy. In the second case, the rollers 17 of the pin 14 run against the disks 8 which displace the rollers and the slide R against the action of the spring 51 and cause the lever 18 to displace the pinion 10 into engagement with the coupling member 13, which drives the pinion will be-g- 7 If the element 5 is coupled with the fiy-wheel 2, the energy of inertia of the. element 5 will be where m designatesthe mass of the element 5. When the speed of the element 5 would be retarded to the speed of the wheel 10, the energy of inertia of the element 5 would be as; n 2 2 8 The difierence MJL J 2 8 8 is thekinetic energy accumulated by the element 5, when the speed of the latter has reached '0. By this energy the element 5 is enabled to drive the wheels 10 and 9 and to elevate their speed and the speed of the shaft 6 which drives the wheels 7 and 3 and the flywheel 2 which will be thus'prepared tortransc mit new driving impulsions to the element 5'. The quantity %represents a surplus of energy which: is transformed by the new device into an equal mechanical effect or may be used for generating new impulses accelerating the masses 2 and 5. v

Inthe constructional form shown in Figs. 3, and 4 the pinionlO is carried by a journal bearing 20, which-forms the upper bearingof the shaft 21 of the element 5. A cone-shaped coupling body 23 projects into the recess 22 of the pin-ion10. The said body 23 slides upon the shaft 21 and bears against a spring 24, which hasth'e tendency to keep the body 23 inits inactive position and" distant from the frictional face of the recess 22'. The shaft 21is provided with an arm 25 carrying at 2-7 aaleven 261 One end of the said lever carries: roller 17. and is provided with a finger 28 which forms a frictional facewith the fi-y-wheel 2; The finger 28 slides in a slot 2510f the element 5,the shaft 21 of'which is journaled in a spherical foot bearing 54 mounted upon the said fly-wheel 2. The other end of the lever 26 is pivotally connected to arms 30 by means of pins 30 and of links 31, which bear by means of the ac tion of springs 32 against the cone-shaped body 23. The weight of the parts 26, 28, 30, 31 and 32 may be balanced by a counterweight not shown.

When the device is operated by turning the shaft 6 by any suitable power, the finger 28 is coupled by a friction with the fly-wheel 2 which drives therefore the element 5. The roller 17 enters into the path of the disk 8 and will be thrust back so that the arm 30 of the lever 26 moves the cone-shaped body 23 into, the coupling-position. Now this body 23 drives the wheel 10. If the roller 17 has passed the disk 8, the body 23 will be released out of the engagement with the wheel 10 by means of the releasing effect of the spring 24. When the roller 17 passes over the adjacent portion of the disk 8, the finger 28 has no contact with the fly-wheel 2, until the roller has again left the disk 8. or until the body 23 is returned into its releasing position.

The speed of the fly-wheel 2'may be governed by governing means Fig. 5). For this purpose, the shaft 1 is provided with a selfregulating brake constituting a speed-governor. The shaft 1 carries a ring 33 provided with diametral spokes 34 upon which are mounted sliding plates 35 connected one with the other by means of threaded bolts 36 engaging into a sleeve 37 provided with leftand righthand threads and rotatably mounted between two ears 38 of the ring 33. The spokes carry and guide brake-shoes 39 connected with the plates 35 by means of retracting springs 40. A brake-ring4'1 is provided with legs 42 and so arranged upon the base-plate of the framework of the device, that the brake-shoes 39 lie at the same level as the frictional face of the brake-ring 41. The force of the springs 40 is so chosen that it will be overcome by the centrifugal force of the brake-shoes 39, when the velocity of the device has reached a predetermineddegree.

The advantages of the arrangements represented in the Figs. 1-5 are based essentially upon the individual effectualness of the two fly-masses 2 and '5. When the mass-5' is coupled with the mass 2 the said masses keep pace and form together the total mass of energy. lVhenthe mass 5 is separated from the mass 2, the masses form two bodies moving individually, and the mass '5 is coupled with the pair of wheels 9, 10. The frictional resistance generated hereby between the said masses 2 and 5 does not exercise any remarkable inconvenient effect upon the travel of the mass 2. The total frictional resistance between the said masses ceases, if the masses 2'and 5 are re-coupled together by means of the projection 12 or 28 respectively. The

the mass 5 accumulates energy and, after being released from the mass 2, will exercise individually by its own kinetic energy impulsions to the wheels 9, 10 enabling them to accelerate the shaft 6 and the mass 2.

hen instead of the arrangement described a fly-wheel would be fixed upon the shaft 6 or 1, as it is well known in usual machines, each alteration of the velocity of this shaft would have very bad consequences including in particular the undesirable effect of absorbing a great deal of energy. For example, it will be observed in usual machines, that each retardation of the speed of the shaft causes a shock which consumes the energy being set free. But this shock does not represent any work force and will exercise a detrimental effect and has the tendency to snap the shaft or other portions of the machine. This undesired eifect will be avoided by adopting the arrangement constituted according to this invention. The energy being set free by the retarding of the speed of one mass will be accumulated in order to be later utilized for transmitting impulses to the shaft 6 by means of the wheels 9, 10. This free energy may also be taken off from the shafts 44 or 21.

I claim:

1. In a device for generating and utilizing centrifugal forces, the combination of a mass arranged to be rotated, with a supplementary mass arranged upon an idle shaft, coupling means to couple temporarily the supplementary mass with the first mass for accelerating at certain moments the former by the latter, and coupling and force transmitting means to transmit at other moments accelerating force from the supplementary mass to the first mass.

2. In a device for generating and utilizing centrifugal force, the combination of a flywheel, a rotary body, means for transmitting at certain moments accelerating impulsions from the said fiy-wheel to the said rotary body adapted to accumulate energy, and means for transmitting at other moments accelerating impulsions from the said rotary body to the said fiy-wheeL.

3. In a device for generating and utilizing centrifugal forces, the combination of a flywheel, a normally idle supplementary rotary mass, two spur gearings maintained in permanent connection with a driving shaft and having different gear ratios, one of the said spur gearing of the greater gear ratio connecting permanently the said driving shaft with the said fiy-wheel, frictional coupling means, and means for operating the said coupling means to throw the said supplementary mass into and out of gear alternatively with the said fly-wheel and the spur gearing of the smaller gear ratio.

4. In a device for generating and utilizing centrifugal forces, the combination of a fly wheel driven by a driving shaft and having an interior circular frictional surface, with an idle supplementary mass, africtional cone-shaped coupling body sliding upon the axle of the said idle mass, a counter coupling member rotatably arranged upon the said axle, a lever pivot-ally arranged upon the said axle, one end of the said lccr hearing by its centrifugal force against the said frictional surface of the said flyavheel to couple the latter with the supplementary mass, the other end of the said lever bearing against the said cone-shaped body, a disk fitted to the said driving shaft and projecting into the path of the said lever to remove temporarily the said lever from the said frictional surface and to move the said cone-shaped coupling body into its operative position to couple the supplementary mass with the said driving shaft.

5. In a device for generating and utilizing centrifugal forces, the combinationof a flywheel driven by a driving shaft and having an interior circular frictional surface, with an idle supplementary mass, a spur gearing meshing with the shaft of the said fly-wheel, a frictional cone-shaped coupling body sliding upon the axle of the said supplementary mass, a counter-coupling member forming a pinion, a gear-wheel carried by the said driven shaft and meshing with the said pin ion having a greater gear ratio with the said gear-wheel than the said. spur gearing, a spring arranged between the said coupling cone and the said coupling member and having the tendency to remove these two parts out of gear, and means to operate the said cone-shaped body.

6. In a device for generating and utilizing centrifugal forces, the combination of a flywheel connected by means of a spur gearing with a driving shaft and provided with a frictional surface, with an idle supplementary mass, a gear-wheel fitted to the said shaft and meshing with a pinion the gear ratio of which being greater than the gear ratio of the said spur gearing, coupling means to couple the said pinion with the said supplementary mass, a lever carried by the axle of the said supplementary mass, means for moving the said lever into and out of engagement with the frictional surfaces of the fly-wheel, and spring-pressed arms pivotally arranged upon the said lever to operate the said coupling means.

7. In a device for generating and utilizing centrifugal forces, the combination of a mass arranged to be rotated, with a supplementary mass arranged upon an idle shaft, coupling means to couple temporarily the supplementary mass with the first mass for accelcrating at certain moments the former by the latter, coupling means and force transmitting means to transmit at other moments accelerating forces from the said supplementary mass to the first mass, and a governor for regulating automatically the speed of the said two masses.

8. In a device for generating and utilizing centrifugal forces, the combination of a mass arranged to be rotated, With a supplementary mass arranged upon an idle shaft, coupling means to couple temporarily the supplementary mass With the first mass for accelerating at certain moments the former by the latter, coupling means and force transmitting means to transmit at other moments accelerating forces from the said supplementary mass to the first mass, a stationary brake-ring equiaxed to the shaft of the said flywheel, radial guiding arms fitted to the said shaft, brakeplates sliding upon the said guiding arms and adapted to be moved by their centrifugal force against the said brake-ring, and springs tending to retract the said plates distant from the said brake-ring.

9. In a device for generating and utilizing centrifugal forces, the combination of a mass arranged to be constantly rotated, a normally idle rotary supplementary mass, coupling means to couple temporarily the supplementary mass With the first mass for accelerating at certain moments the former by the latter, coupling means and force transmitting means to transmit at other moments accelerating forces from the said supplementary to the first mass, a stationary brake-ring equiaxed to the shaft of the said mass, radial guiding arms fitted to the shaft of the said mass, brake-plates sliding upon the said guiding arms and adapted to be moved by their centrifugal force against the said brake-ring, springs tending to retract the said plates distant from the said brake-ringand connected With another by means of bolts provided With left hand and right hand screw threads and engaging into a corresponding adjusting nut, and ears attached to the shaft of the said fly- Wheel to carry the said nut adapted to adjust the said plates.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature.

OTTO STINNER. 

